Working scientifically: comparative test
In comparative tests in primary science the children compare different cases and situations.
Primary science enquiries that are comparative tests have many similar features to fair tests in that one variable is changed, another variable is measured, and any other variables are controlled. The difference is that in a comparative test the variable that is changed is discrete rather than continuous, so children are comparing different cases/situations. Children regularly ask questions that lead to a comparative test, and these types of enquiries provide lots of opportunities to measure and collect data.
The video below gives you an introduction to fair and comparative tests; below the video you will find a useful resource to download which includes suggestions for some of the ‘big questions’ that pupils might explore through comparative tests in KS1 and KS2. You can also download a transcript of the video.
Fair and comparative tests
Downloads
| File Name | File Type | File Size | File Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working scientifically: comparative test | 345 KB | Download | |
| Fair and comparative video transcript | 18 KB | Download |
Published: 5 October 2021